Double-Duty For Common Household Items
If you look at a sponge or a bottle of baby oil, you know exactly what to do with them, right?
Not necessarily, say the editors of Real Simple magazine. They love to find double uses for common everyday household items.
On The Early Show Tuesday, the magazine's Kris Connell shared some of her favorites.
She pointed out that getting double uses out of common items can save you money and reduce clutter.
Among the items Connell pointed to:
SPONGE
Original purpose: Wiping up uh-oh spills
Aha! use: Keeping potting soil in place. Trim a sponge to a square slightly larger than the
drainage hole of a pot. Place it over the hole before filling the pot with soil.
Excess water drains out, but soil stays in.
NUTCRACKER
Original purpose: Releasing tasty nuts from their tough shells.
Aha! use: Removing a tight cap. Clamp the nutcracker around the top of a glue, nail polish, or beverage bottle to give you extra gripping power.
STRAIGHTENING IRON
Original purpose: Smoothing your humidity-crazed hairdo.
Aha! use: Ironing between buttons, where a regular iron doesn't fit. A straightening iron also works well on collar creases and minor wrinkles.
MASKING TAPE
Original purpose: Sealing boxes.
Aha! use: Preventing skid marks on baseboards and walls when you vacuum. Cover the edges of the vacuum head with masking tape so they don't leave behind dark smudges when you inevitably bump the wall.
BABY OIL
Original purpose: Keeping skin baby-soft.
Aha! use: Polishing chrome. Apply a dab to a cotton cloth and use it to shine everything from faucets to hubcaps.
LAST SUMMER'S SUNSCREEN
Original purpose: Shelf-space monopolizer.
Aha! use: Sunscreen does expire, if yours has worn out its shelf-life, repurpose it as shaving lotion. While a bottle of expired sunscreen will no longer protect you from UV rays, it can still protect you from razor burn.
Laundry bag
Original purpose: Saving delicate unmentionables from getting stretched in the spin cycle.
Aha! Use: Keeping mini-Tupperware lids, baby-bottle caps, and other small items from falling through the dishwasher rack.